Steve Morison isn't star-struck

STEVE MORISON claims he will not be in awe of England at Wembley ­tomorrow – and will keep his Wales shirt to prove it.

Steve Morison is in fine form and keen to resume his battle with John Terry

Norwich striker Steve Morison will lead the Welsh line in the Euro 2012 qualifier fresh from breaking his international duck with the opening goal in the 2-1 victory over Montenegro on Friday.

He hopes to extend his run at the home of English football following three successive wins at domestic level but, having gone head-to-head with Chelsea centre-back John Terry, he will not be asking the England captain to swap shirts for a souvenir.

Morison, 28, capped nine times, said: “I haven’t swapped shirts with anyone at club and international level. I’ve always kept my own. I’m not going to be somebody who runs over after the game and asks somebody for theirs. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all on the same level if we are on the same pitch.

haven’t swapped shirts with anyone at club and international level

Steve Morison

“If you go and get somebody’s shirt then nine times out of 10 you have pre-empted doing that. “You’ve thought before the game, ‘I’ll get his shirt’. But there is no reason why I would do that. It is not me.

“You need to be like that. You can’t go into these games being in awe of these players and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s John Terry’‚ or ‘it’s Fernando Torres’. Being a Liverpool fan I’ve watched Torres and never thought I’d play against him, but if we’re on the same pitch we are equals. It’s just the way I am as a person.”

Morison’s hard-nosed mentality has been harnessed as he navigated his way through the football leagues. Along the way, he also boasts a hat-trick of Wembley successes.

His debut appearance under the arch came in the 2007 FA Trophy final – the first competitive cup final played at the new stadium – when he scored the winning goal for Stevenage Borough against Kidderminster Harriers.

Morison found the net again two years later in a 2-0 victory over York City in the same competition before sealing the treble as former club Millwall defeated Swindon Town in the 2010 League One play-off final.

When Wales manager Gary Speed was told of Morison’s quirky statistic at the north London venue, he said: “He’s playing then!”

Morison added: “At every level you have to feel you belong. I have believed in my ability whatever team I’ve played with or against.

“But if you don’t have apprehension and anxiety and, that night before, start thinking, ‘Am I going to be good enough?’, then you will never be good enough.

“I don’t ever think I’ve made it, you can never think that.”

Following a successful season with Millwall in the Championship when he scored 17 goals, he was handed a £3million move to Premier League side Norwich this summer.

“It has been a step up for me, but a fantastic experience,” said Morison, who qualifies for Wales through his grandmother. “I managed to get in the team for the first game of the season, had to miss the next one because of a knock, but got half-an-hour at Chelsea.

“I let Grant Holt have the battle with Terry and I went behind to run them. I should have scored, but I let Terry have half-a-chance to get back and, knowing how good he is, he was always going to get back.

“But it was enjoyable and I came off thinking I did OK. You have to make sure you are ready all the time – the same applies at international level.

“I won my first cap just over a year ago and went straight into the team and stayed there for six or seven games, but then lost my place against Australia.

“I fought hard to get back in the team and have now scored my first goal – even if I tried my best to miss it. If you get in the right positions the goals will come.”